Los Angeles Clippers

Los Angeles Clippers
founding	1970
history	Buffalo Braves 1970–1978 San Diego Clippers 1978–1984 Los Angeles Clippers since 1984
Stadion	Staples Center
Location	Los Angeles , California
Club colors	Red, blue, black, silver, white     
league	NBA
Conference	Western Conference
division	Pacific Division
Head coach	Doc Rivers
General manager	Michael Winger
owner	Steve Ballmer
Farm teams	Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario
Championships	no
Conference title	no
Division title	2 ( 2013 , 2014 )
Association Icon Statement

The Los Angeles Clippers are a basketball team from the North American professional league NBA . The team is based in Los Angeles , California . There the Clippers share the Staples Center with the Los Angeles Lakers as a venue, which means that the Lakers have more fans among the spectators than the Clippers when they play against each other due to the larger fan base. From 1970 to 1978 the team was known as the Buffalo Braves , from 1978 to 1984 as the San Diego Clippers .

history

Clippers home game at the Staples Center

Blake Griffin was named Rookie of the Year 2011

All-Star Chris Paul

1970 to 2000: From Buffalo to San Diego to Los Angeles

Founded in 1970 under the name Buffalo Braves , the franchise was originally based in the Great Lakes region , namely in Buffalo, New York . The early 70s were shaped by star player Bob McAdoo , who played for the Braves between 1972 and 1976 and won the MVP in 1975 . Other important players at this time were Bob Kauffman and Randy Smith . It also went well in terms of sport, so that they entered the playoffs from 1974 to 1976. After eight years in Buffalo, the company moved to San Diego on the west coast in 1978 and was renamed the San Diego Clippers. During this period, however, the Clippers were one of the league's most unsuccessful teams.

In 1981 billionaire Donald Sterling bought the team for $ 12 million and relocated it to Los Angeles in 1984 because the city offered a larger market despite the Lakers already existing there . After turbulent years with the two moves mentioned, the Clippers have been playing in Los Angeles since 1984 , despite plans to move to Anaheim . The Clippers were among the worse teams in the league under Sterling, as Sterling did not always agree to continue to commit young talent. The 1980s were marked by failure. Talents like Terry Cummings , Tom Chambers or Byron Scott were quickly given up. On the other hand, top draft picks like Benoit Benjamin or Reggie Williams never really worked. Danny Ferry even refused to show up for the Clippers. In 1988, the Clippers received the first right to vote in the NBA Draft and chose Danny Manning . With other young players like Ken Norman , Charles Smith , Loy Vaught and Ron Harper they reached the playoffs for the first time in 1992. This success could be repeated in 1993 under the new coach Larry Brown .

From 1994 Bill Fitch took over the coaching position under which the Clippers restructured the team. All-Star Manning was transferred to the Atlanta Hawks for aging superstar Dominique Wilkins . Wilkins left the Clippers at the end of the season. Harper and Mark Jackson also changed teams, which started rebuilding in Los Angeles. The playoffs were not reached again until 1997, but it was over again in the first round. After finishing the following year with only 17 wins, Fitch was fired and replaced by Chris Ford .

Due to the weak season, the Clippers received the first right to vote in the 1998 NBA Draft . The center Michael Olowokandi was chosen , but he never lived up to expectations. In the 1999 NBA draft , Lamar Odom was selected in fourth place. In 2000, Darius Miles , Corey Maggette , Quentin Richardson and Keyon Dooling were joined by other talents who formed the Clippers into a young and attractive team. However, the team initially failed to succeed.

2000 to 2010: waiting for success

In the 2001 NBA draft , the Clippers exchanged the rights to Tyson Chandler for Forward Elton Brand . Despite a highly talented core of Odom, Brand and Maggette, you could not reach the playoffs. The Clippers strengthened themselves in 2003 with the German-American center Chris Kaman , who was selected in sixth place in the NBA draft. In addition, Mike Dunleavy sr. the young team. Only with the commitment of veteran Sam Cassell you reached the playoffs in the 2005/06 NBA season . There they were eliminated in the second round, after seven games, against the Phoenix Suns . After another season that ended with 40 wins, the Clippers then disappeared again from the area of ​​the playoff teams in the Western Conference. Above all, many injuries within the squad meant that the entire team was rarely available. Brand and Maggette left the team in 2008. Signings like Baron Davis could not bring the hoped-for turnaround. In the 2008 NBA Draft , the Clippers selected key players, Eric Gordon and DeAndre Jordan .

The 2008/09 season closed the Clippers in 14th place in their conference. In the 2009 NBA Draft , the Clippers secured the rights to Blake Griffin , who was selected first. This should compensate for the departure of Zach Randolph . But Griffin broke his kneecap in preparation and could not play a game for the Clippers in the 2009/10 season .

The Clippers logo from 2010 to 2015

During the 2010/11 season , longtime Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy sr. retired from office due to a lack of victories. Only Chris Kaman made positive headlines during the season and was invited to the NBA All-Star Game . Dunleavys successor to the 2010/11 season was the former coach of the Chicago Bulls , Vinny Del Negro . Under his leadership, the franchise was able to take a significant step towards the playoffs. Although the Clippers did not make it into the round of the top eight teams in the Western Conference in the 2010/11 season, the team impressed during the season with committed performances and an outstanding Blake Griffin , who won the title of NBA Rookie of the Year . Changes were made to the squad over the course of the season. So Marcus Camby was given to the Portland Trail Blazers , and point guard Baron Davis moved to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange with Mo Williams .

2011 to 2017: The Paul and Griffin era

In December 2011, the Clippers signed former all-stars Chauncey Billups of the New York Knicks and Caron Butler of the Dallas Mavericks . A few days later, star point guard Chris Paul was signed by the New Orleans Hornets in exchange for Eric Gordon , Chris Kaman , Al-Farouq Aminu and a draft pick for 2012 . The 2011/12 season , the Clippers were able to finish fifth in the Western Conference. In the first round of the playoffs, the Clippers won 4-3 in games against the Memphis Grizzlies . In the Conference semifinals, the Clippers met the San Antonio Spurs , who won the series 4-0 and threw the Clippers out of the playoffs.

DeAndre Jordan played for the Clippers from 2008 to 2018

During the 2012/13 season , the Clippers won the Pacific Division for the first time in the history of the franchise . With 17 wins in a row, 16 of them in December 2012 alone, they set a new record for the franchise. With a record 56 wins and fourth in the Western Conference, the Clippers moved into the playoffs. As in the previous year, they met the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round. Against the Grizzlies, the Clippers were eliminated after six games with 2-4 wins. Shortly afterwards, the Clippers separated from head coach Vinny Del Negro .

His successor for the 2013/14 season was former head coach of the Boston Celtics and former player of the Clippers, Doc Rivers . The squad was also further supplemented with experienced players from other teams in the league. So, among others, Antawn Jamison , Jared Dudley , JJ Redick and Byron Mullens were committed. During the season, the Clippers strengthened with Danny Granger , Hidayet Türkoğlu and Glen Davis . On March 24, 2014, the Clippers made their 50th win of the season with a 106:98 win over the Milwaukee Bucks and were able to break the 50-win mark in two consecutive seasons for the first time in their history. With a record of 57 wins and 25 defeats, the Clippers also set a new franchise record at the end of the regular season.

At the end of April 2014, the Clippers hit the headlines around the world because club owner Donald Sterling is said to have asked his girlfriend in a recorded private phone not to show herself with black people at games and not to publish photos of her with the exceptional player Magic Johnson on social networks. US President Obama described his remarks as "incredibly racially offensive". The Clippers players wore their warm-up jerseys turned inside out in protest against their boss at the next playoff game in Oakland, and black socks instead of white during the game. In addition, some sponsors of the club, u. a. Mercedes-Benz and Red Bull are about to withdraw. Sterling was banned for life by the NBA a few days after the phone recording was released and sentenced to a maximum fine of $ 2.5 million. In addition, the association's leadership urged him to sell the Clippers, whose value is estimated at around one billion dollars. The 29 other NBA club owners voted unanimously in favor. In May 2014, former Time Warner boss Richard Dean Parsons took over the presidency on an interim basis. Sterling later apologized for what he said.

For a purchase price of $ 2 billion, former Microsoft boss Steve Ballmer has been the new owner of the Los Angeles Clippers since August 2014 , after the Sterling Family Trust and the NBA Board of Governors approved the sale. Ballmer had already tried in 2013 to acquire the Sacramento Kings and relocate to Seattle, but the other team owners refused.

The 2014/15 season closed the Clippers with 56 wins and again reached the conference semifinals, where they lost to the Houston Rockets after seven games. For the following season 2015/16 the Clippers strengthened themselves with Lance Stephenson and the multiple all-star Paul Pierce . However, the season was mainly plagued by injury concerns. Griffin missed more than 40 season games. In the first playoff round, Chris Paul and Griffin were injured again, so that the favored Clippers were eliminated 2-4 by the Portland Trail Blazers . The 2016/17 season was almost unchanged and despite some injury problems, they fought for fourth conference rank. The following playoffs were no better for the Clippers than last year. Despite the home advantage in the first round against Utah Jazz and a 2-1 lead in the meantime, the Clippers lost the series 3-4. Griffin fell again from part of the playoffs.

Season 2017/18 to 2018/19: The end of the Paul and Griffin era

In the summer of 2017, the Clippers traded their star and captain Chris Paul to the Houston Rockets , who in return gave Patrick Beverley , Lou Williams , Sam Dekker , Montrezl Harrell , Darrunn Hillard, DeAndre Liggins , Kyle Wiltjer and a first round pick to the Clippers. The main reason for the move was cited in the media as increasing disagreements between Paul and head coach Doc Rivers.

After the first half of the season was overshadowed by a large number of injuries, the Clippers traded Blake Griffin, another former cornerstone of the team, to the Detroit Pistons on January 30, 2018 . In a trade that involved Willie Reed as well as Griffin, Tobias Harris , Avery Bradley and Boban Marjanović moved to Los Angeles in return . The Clippers also received the Pistons' first round pick for the 2018 NBA Draft . Despite many injury concerns, the Clippers remained in the race for a playoff place in the Western Conference after the trade and only missed the post-season three games before the end of the regular season after a loss against Utah, despite an ultimately positive balance. In that season (2017/18) Lou Williams set a new franchise record with 518 attempted three-point throws, beating JJ Redick's previous record from the previous season by 50 throws. In addition, DeAndre Jordan was able to equalize the franchise record of Elmore Smith from the 1971/72 season with 15.2 rebounds per game . Jordan left the Clippers after the end of the season after 750 games (franchise record) with a total of 7988 rebounds (of which 5553 defensive rebounds and 2435 offensive rebounds; all three values ​​franchise record). Thus, in summer 2018, the Clippers also lost the last player in the former power trio around Chris Paul and Blake Griffin. As a replacement, Center Marcin Gortat was signed by the Washington Wizards via Trade. The guards Lou Williams and Avery Bradley received new contracts in Los Angeles. In February, Tobias Harris and Avery Bradley were given up and Marcin Gortat was sacked, paving the way for a rebuild with younger players like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander , Montrezl Harrell , Landry Shamet and Ivica Zubac .

Season 2019/20: Championship candidate with Leonard and George

In the run-up to the 2019/20 season, it was announced that the franchise is planning to build a new sports facility. The team is currently playing with city rivals Los Angeles Lakers at the Staples Center ; however, the contract with this hall was only concluded until the end of the 2023/24 season. Therefore, in July 2019, plans were presented to build a basketball arena in the nearby city of Inglewood in Los Angeles County , California , on the same site as the SoFi Stadium of the local football teams Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers (both from the NFL ) to build that can hold 18,500 spectators. Construction work is to begin in 2021, with completion planned for autumn 2024. The owner of the New York Knicks , James Dolan , then publicly protested against such a construction, as he is the owner of an arena ("The Forum") very close to the proposed construction site.

The Clippers team saw some changes in preparation for the season. So the final MVP of the preseason, Kawhi Leonard , who had become a free agent, was signed. This had led the Toronto Raptors to the championship a few months earlier. In addition, the Clippers were able to realize a trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder . In exchange for Danilo Gallinari, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and several draft picks, the multiple all-star Paul George moved to LA. With Leonard and George, the Clippers had signed two of the best two-way players (players with equally excellent offensive and defensive skills) of the NBA. During the season, Marcus Morris was signed shortly before the trading deadline on February 6th . For that were Moe Harkless and Jerome Robinson issued. A buyout of the Detroit Pistons also gave the opportunity to sign guard Reggie Jackson after the trading deadline . Together with city rivals LA Lakers and the Milwaukee Bucks led by Giannis Antetokounmpo , the Clippers advanced to become the championship candidates for that season with this roster.

Current squad

Los Angeles Clippers roster as of March 7, 2020

player	Coaches
No. Nat. Surname position birth size info college 1 Reggie Jackson Guard April 16, 1990 193 cm Boston College 2 Kawhi Leonard Forward 06/29/1991 201 cm San Diego State 4th JaMychal Green Forward 06/21/1990 203 cm Alabama 5 Montrezl Harrell Forward / Center 01/26/1994 203 cm Louisville 7th Amir Coffey Guard / Forward 06/17/1997 203 cm G / R Minnesota 13 Paul George Forward May 2nd, 1990 206 cm Fresno State 14th Terance man Forward 10/18/1996 198 cm R. Florida State 15th Johnathan Motley Forward / Center 05/04/1995 206 cm G Baylor 19th Rodney McGruder Guard / Forward 07/29/1991 196 cm Kansas State 20th Landry Shamet Guard 03/13/1997 196 cm Wichita State 21st Patrick Beverley Guard 07/12/1988 185 cm Arkansas 23 Lou Williams Guard 10/27/1986 185 cm South Gwinnett HS (GA) 25th Mfiondu cable gels Forward 08/14/1997 208 cm R. Florida State 31 Marcus Morris Forward 09/02/1989 206 cm Kansas 40 Ivica Zubac center 03/18/1997 216 cm Croatia 54 Patrick Patterson Forward 03/14/1989 206 cm Kentucky 55 Joakim Noah center 02/25/1985 211 cm Florida	Nat. Surname position Doc Rivers Head coach Tyronn Lue Chief assistant coach Sam Cassell Assistant coach Armond Hill Assistant coach Casey Hill Assistant coach Rex Kalamian Assistant coach John Welch Assistant coach Jeremy Castleberry Assistant coach Brendan O'Connor Assistant coach JP Clark Player development Jasen Powell Medical trainer
	Legend Abbr. meaning No. Jersey number Nat. nationality C. Team captain R. Rookie G Two-way contract Inactivity due to injury

Honors and achievements worth mentioning

Former logos
1984-2010
1982-1984
1978-1982
1971-1978
1970/71

Members of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame

Nat.	Surname	position	time
	Adrian Dantley	Forward to the Buffalo Braves	1976/77
	Bob McAdoo	Center at the Buffalo Braves	1973-1977
	Bill Walton	Center at the San Diego Clippers Center at the Los Angeles Clippers	1979-1984 1984/85
	Dominique Wilkins	Forward with the Los Angeles Clippers	1993/94
	Moses Malone	Center of the Buffalo Braves	1976
	Jamaal Wilkes	Forward the Los Angeles Clippers	1985
	Jack Ramsay	Coach of the Buffalo Braves	1973-1976
	Elgin Baylor	General Manager of the Los Angeles Clippers	1986-2008

Well-known former players

Surname	current club
Chauncey Billups	Career ended
Grant Hill	Career ended
Brent Barry	Career ended
Elton Brand	Career ended
Baron Davis	Career ended
Tim Thomas	Career ended
Sam Cassell	Career ended
Tom Chambers	Career ended
Terry Cummings	Career ended
World B. Free	Career ended
Blake Griffin	Detroit Pistons
Chris Paul	Oklahoma City Thunder
DeAndre Jordan	Brooklyn Nets
Eric Gordon	Houston Rockets
Ron Harper	Career ended
Mark Jackson	Career ended
Marko Jarić	Career ended
Marques Johnson	Career ended
Chris Kaman	Career ended
Danny Manning	Career ended
Corey Maggette	Career ended
Darius Miles	Career ended
Andre Miller	Career ended
Cuttino Mobley	Career ended
Lamar Odom	Career ended
Michael Olowokandi	Career ended
Quentin Richardson	Career ended
Zach Randolph	Career ended
Eric Bledsoe	Milwaukee Bucks
Randy Smith	† 2009

• 

  Chris Kaman

• 

  Elton Brand

• 

  Baron Davis

• 

  Zach Randolph

• 

  Eric Bledsoe

• 

  Lamar Odom

• 

  Blake Griffin

• 

  DeAndre Jordan

statistics

Playing times in the National Basketball Association

year	Victories: defeats	Wins [%]	Play-offs
Buffalo Braves
1970/71	22:60	26.8	Not qualified for the play-offs
1971/72	22:60	26.8	Not qualified for the play-offs
1972/73	21:61	25.6	Not qualified for the play-offs
1973/74	42:40	51.2	2-4 in the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Boston Celtics
1974/75	49:33	59.8	3: 4 in the first round against the Washington Bullets
1975/76	46:36	56.1	2-4 in the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Boston Celtics
1976/77	30:52	36.6	Not qualified for the play-offs
1977/78	27:55	32.9	Not qualified for the play-offs
San Diego Clippers
1978/79	43:39	52.4	Not qualified for the play-offs
1979/80	35:47	42.7	Not qualified for the play-offs
1980/81	36:46	43.9	Not qualified for the play-offs
1981/82	17:65	20.7	Not qualified for the play-offs
1982/83	25:57	30.5	Not qualified for the play-offs
1983/84	30:52	36.6	Not qualified for the play-offs
Los Angeles Clippers
1984/85	31:51	37.8	Not qualified for the play-offs
1985/86	32:50	39.0	Not qualified for the play-offs
1986/87	12:70	14.6	Not qualified for the play-offs
1987/88	17:65	20.7	Not qualified for the play-offs
1988/89	21:61	25.6	Not qualified for the play-offs
1989/90	30:52	36.6	Not qualified for the play-offs
1990/91	31:51	37.8	Not qualified for the play-offs
1991/92	45:37	54.9	2: 3 in the first round against the Utah Jazz
1992/93	41:41	50.0	2: 3 in the first round against the Houston Rockets
1993/94	27:55	32.9	Not qualified for the play-offs
1994/95	17:65	20.7	Not qualified for the play-offs
1995/96	29:53	35.4	Not qualified for the play-offs
1996/97	36:46	43.9	0: 3 in the first round against the Utah Jazz
1997/98	17:65	20.7	Not qualified for the play-offs
1998/99	9:41	18.0	Not qualified for the play-offs
1999/00	15:67	18.3	Not qualified for the play-offs
2000/01	31:51	37.8	Not qualified for the play-offs
2001/02	39:43	47.6	Not qualified for the play-offs
2002/03	27:55	32.9	Not qualified for the play-offs
2003/04	28:54	34.1	Not qualified for the play-offs
2004/05	37:45	45.1	Not qualified for the play-offs
2005/06	47:35	57.3	3: 4 in the Western Conference semifinals against the Phoenix Suns
2006/07	40:42	48.8	Not qualified for the play-offs
2007/08	23:59	28.0	Not qualified for the play-offs
2008/09	19:63	23.2	Not qualified for the play-offs
2009/10	29:53	35.4	Not qualified for the play-offs
2010/11	32:50	39.0	Not qualified for the play-offs
2011/12	40:26	60.6	0-4 in the Western Conference semifinals against the San Antonio Spurs
2012/13	56:26	68.3	2-4 in the first round against the Memphis Grizzlies
2013/14	57:25	69.5	2-4 in the Western Conference semifinals against the Oklahoma City Thunder
2014/15	56:26	68.3	3: 4 in the Western Conference semifinals against the Houston Rockets
2015/16	53:29	64.6	2-4 in the first round against the Portland Trail Blazers
2016/17	51:31	62.2	3: 4 in the first round against the Utah Jazz
2017/18	42:40	51.2	Not qualified for the play-offs
2018/19	48:34	58.5	2-4 in the first round against the Golden State Warriors
2019/20	49:23	68.1
total	1659: 2383	41.0	46:64 in the playoffs (41.8%) As of: Reg.Season August 2020

Web links

Commons : Los Angeles Clippers  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Team profile on basketball-reference.com (English)
• Official website
• Official squad of the team
• Los Angeles Clippers Info (German)
• Los Angeles Clippers Online - LA Clippers Fan Site
• Clippers Blog (German)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ G. Brower-Rabinowitsch and T. Jahn: Steve Ballmer. Sports fan with passion. Ex-Microsoft boss pays two billion dollars for basketball team , in: Handelsblatt , No. 104 of June 2, 2014, p. 47.
2. ↑ Fran Blinebury: Step by step, San Antonio making a bid at run at historic. (No longer available online.) NBA.com, May 21, 2012, archived from the original on May 24, 2012 ; accessed on May 21, 2012 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
3. ↑ Racism allegation in the NBA: "I demand that you do not bring black people to my games". In: Spiegel Online . April 26, 2014, accessed April 30, 2014 . 
4. ↑ LA Clippers Owner to GF: "Don't Bring Black People to My Games ... Including Magic Johnson". In: TMZ.com. April 25, 2014, accessed April 30, 2014 . 
5. ↑ NBA bans Clippers owner Sterling. (No longer available online.) In: tagesschau.de. April 29, 2014, archived from the original on April 30, 2014 ; Retrieved April 29, 2014 . 
6. ↑ NBA: Clippers lose sponsors due to racism scandal. In: Spiegel Online . April 29, 2014, accessed April 30, 2014 . 
7. ↑ Purchase price more than a billion dollars. In: Süddeutsche.de . May 2, 2014, accessed May 2, 2014 . 
8. ^ Ballmer officially becomes the new owner of Clippers. (No longer available online.) In: NBA.com. August 12, 2014, formerly in the original ; Retrieved September 4, 2014 .  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.    
9. ↑ Steve Ballmer wants to buy basketball team for $ 2 billion. In: FAZ.NET . May 30, 2014, accessed May 30, 2014 . 
10. ↑ LA Clippers present arena plans. Stadionwelt, July 29, 2019, accessed on March 2, 2020 . 
11. ↑ Paul Kasabian: Steve Ballmer Says Clippers 'Arena Plans Won't Be Stopped by Knicks' James Dolan. bleacherreport.com, October 4, 2019, accessed March 2, 2020 . 
12. ^ Ashish Mathur: Jerry West believes Clippers' Kawhi Leonard, Paul George are the best two-way players in basketball. clutchpoints.com, July 15, 2019, accessed March 2, 2020 .